Long Prison Term For Driver Who Killed Fremont Marine Just Home From Afghanistan

FREMONT, CA — An Emeryville man was sentenced today to 15 years to life in state prison for a crash in Fremont two years ago that killed a U.S. Marine who had recently returned from a tour of duty in Afghanistan.

Alexander Yohn, 25, was convicted last month of second-degree murder and gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated for the collision that killed 23-year-old Andrew Silva of Union City at about 1:15 a.m. on
March 24, 2014.

According to Fremont police, Silva was riding on a motorcycle when Yohn, who was driving a Mini Cooper, struck him at the intersection of Fremont Boulevard and Decoto Road.

Alameda County prosecutors said Yohn drove from his home in Emeryville to a Fremont bar to go on a date he arranged through the online dating site OKCupid.

While he was on his date, Yohn consumed 12 shots of whiskey and his date told him that he was too drunk to drive and called his roommate to come pick him up, but Yohn still chose to drive, according to prosecutors.

Yohn drove to a nearby Taco Bell drive-thru restaurant in the 3700 block of Fremont Boulevard and ordered food but police said officers began pursuing Yohn after an employee reported that he was belligerent and possibly under the influence of alcohol.

Yohn, who worked as an emergency medical technician, was driving at about 80 mph and refused to stop, police said.

After hitting Silva, Yohn crashed into a utility pole and fence and then fled but officers were able to catch and arrest him, according to police.

Silva died instantly at the scene, according to authorities. Police said Yohn admitted after he was arrested that he had consumed at least nine to 12 shots of Jameson whiskey before driving the Mini Cooper and that he had been at two bars in Fremont prior to the collision.

Yohn also admitted that after he left the second bar, he had no recollection of what happened until he woke up at a hospital, Fremont police Officer Alan Zambonin wrote in a probable cause statement.

In addition, Yohn said he is a recovering heroin addict and an alcoholic and that he takes a prescription drug every day to control his heroin addiction, Zambonin said.

Prosecutors said Yohn had a prior conviction for driving under the influence in 2010 and when he was tested an hour after the deadly 2014 collision, he had a blood-alcohol limit of 0.23 percent, nearly three times the legal limit.

— Bay City News; Image via Shutterstock